a cat in gloves catches no mice
One cannot obtain what one desires by being cautious; one must be aggressive.
Cats · Mèo 181
Related topics: Historical slang (1800s) Dogs Mice & rats Dated Animal idioms Black & white Fish Eyes Legs Rain & storms Mouth & tongue Life & death
all cats are gray in the dark
Standard spelling of all cats are grey in the dark.
all cats are grey in the dark
Sex is enjoyable regardless of the physical attractiveness or social station of one's partner.
alley cat
Synonym of cat around (“engage in sex with various partners”).
bear cat
An excellent or formidable thing or person.
black cat
To do better than another in some respect; to one up.
black cat energy
Chiefly of women, a self-confident and independent energy.
bọ chét mèo
(noun) a cat flea (of the species Ctenocephalides felis)
care killed a cat
Synonym of curiosity killed the cat.
care killed the cat
Synonym of curiosity killed the cat.
cat
Terms relating to animals. — A mammal of the family Felidae.
cat and kitten sneaking
The theft of pint and quart pots and small pewter spirit measures from public houses.
cat around
To engage in sex with various partners; to sleep around; to cheat on a sexual partner.
Cat City
Cathedral City, California
cat got your tongue
A teasing question asked of someone who is unusually silent: why aren't you talking?
cat in the pan
A somersault.
cat meat
Someone who has been badly beaten.
cat wagon
A small brothel operating out of a wagon or similar vehicle, servicing travelling labourers, soldiers etc.
cat's ass
Synonym of cat's meow.
cat's meat
A person's lungs.
cat's whiskers
Something outstandingly good.
chessy cat
A Cheshire cat.
chó chê mèo lắm lông
the dog calling the cat furry
chó chê mèo mửa
very bad; horrid
chưa biết mèo nào cắn mỉu nào
there's no telling which cat will end up having a bite on the other
conceited as a barber's cat
Very conceited.
cú mèo
(noun) a true owl
dogs have masters; cats have staff
Alternative form of dogs have masters, cats have staff.
dogs have owners, cats have staff
Synonym of dogs have masters, cats have staff.
fat cat
A rich person who contributes to a political campaign.
fight like cat and dog
To fight (among themselves) frequently or irreconcilably.
giấu như mèo giấu cứt
to put a lot of effort into hiding something bad
grin like a Cheshire cat
To smile broadly, especially in a self-satisfied way.
guilty as a cat in a goldfish bowl
Conspicuously guilty.
holy cats
Expressing astonishment.
kitty
Synonym of pussy (“vulva and/or vagina”).
kitty crack
cat thyme (Teucrium marum)
kitty cruise
An enlistment in the United States Navy starting before one's eighteenth birthday and, therefore, ending before one's twenty-first.
kitty flip
A combination of the drugs ketamine and MDMA.
kitty flipping
The experience of combining the drugs ketamine and MDMA.
kitty kiss
A cat's slow blink, interpreted as a sign of friendship.
let the cat out of the bag
To reveal a secret, usually carelessly or by mistake.
like a cat in a strange garret
Having a feeling of uncertainty and misapprehension due to being in an unfamiliar situation.
like a cat on a hot tin roof
Jumpy, nervous.
like a scalded cat
With great rapidity.
like cats and dogs
Combative; inclined to fight amongst themselves.
like the cat that got the cream
Very satisfied and happy.
look like something the cat dragged in
To have a very dishevelled or untidy appearance.
mèo báo
(noun) leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)
mèo con
Little kitten — pet name, often for a cute girlfriend.
mèo già hoá cáo
the older someone is, the more cunning they become
mèo khen mèo dài đuôi
cats who boast of their own long tails
mèo mù vớ cá rán
To get lucky far beyond one’s ability or effort — undeserved windfall.
mèo mướp
(noun) tabby cat
mèo mả gà đồng
vagabond; hobo
mèo rừng
(noun) leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)
mèo tam thể
(noun) calico cat
mắt mèo
(noun) Mimosa pigra
nervous as a cat
Very nervous.
nấm mèo
Wood ear mushroom — the Southern word; Northerners say mộc nhĩ.
o mèo
(verb) to flirt (with girls)
painted cat
A female prostitute.
pet the kitty
To masturbate by stimulating the vulva.
playful as a kitten
Very playful
poor as a barber's cat
Very poor (lacking money).
put the cat among the pigeons
To create a disturbance and cause trouble.
rain cats and dogs
Rain heavily.
raining cats and dogs
Raining very hard or strongly.
safe as a kitten
In a state of complete safety.
safe as a kitten in a basket
Synonym of safe as a kitten.
safe as a kitten in a box
Synonym of safe as a kitten.
Shitty Kitty
USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63)
the cat would eat fish but would not wet her feet
In order to achieve something, it is inevitable and necessary that some sacrifices be made.
there's more than one way to feed a cat
Synonym of there's more than one way to skin a cat.
there's more than one way to fuck a cat
Synonym of there's more than one way to skin a cat.
táo mèo
(noun) Docynia indica
velcro cat
A cat that is very attached to its owner and rarely leaves the owner's side.
wanton kittens make sober cats
People who are unruly and reckless in youth may nevertheless turn out to be responsible adults.
when the cat's away
Ellipsis of when the cat's away, the mice will play.
when the cat's away, the mice will play
People misbehave or relax when the person in charge is absent.
a cat has nine lives
A cat is more tenacious of life than many animals. It is a careful, sly, and suspicious beast, and — in the wild state — is strong, hardy, and ferocious; also, after a fall, it generally lights upon its feet without injury, the foot and toes being well padded.
a cat may look at a king
Even those of low status have rights
all cats love fish but hate to get their paws wet
People often desire benefits without taking risks or making efforts.
ba keo thì mèo mở mắt
Even a foolish person can be wise in their own home
barber’s cat
A half-starved sickly-looking person. Term used in connexion with an expression too coarse to print.
bell the cat
to take a risk to deal with a problem
cat
A common prostitute. An old cat; a cross old woman.
cat
A lady’s muff; "to free a CAT," i.e., steal a muff.
cat and bagpipean society
A society which met at their office in the great western road: in their summons, published in the daily papers, it was added, that the kittens might come with the old cats without being scratched.
cat and dog life
a life of constant fighting or disagreement
Cat and Fiddle
Several fanciful derivations have been found for this inn sign. There can be little doubt that it comes from the nursery rhyme, with a possible reference to the once popular game of tip-cat or trap-ball, and the fiddle for a dance that were provided as attractions for customers. It is worth men- tioning that the Dunciad (i, 224) refers in contempt to Gibber as "the Bear and Fiddle of the town.
Cat and Kittens
A public-house sign, alluding to the range of pewter-pots of various sizes that were so called. Stealing these pots was termed "cat and kitten sneaking.
cat and mouse
a situation where someone is being chased or pursued by someone else
Cat and Mouse Act
To play cat and mouse with one is "to have him on a string"; while he is in your power to pretend constantly to let him go, but not actually to do so. During the Suffragette agitation at the beginning of the 20th century an Act was passed in 1912 with the object of rendering nugatory the tactics of imprisoned suffragettes who went on "hunger-strike.
cat call
A kind of whistle, chiefly used at theatres, to interrupt the actors, and damn a new piece. It derives its name from one of its sounds, which greatly resembles the modulation of an intriguing boar cat.
cat got someone's tongue
Unable to speak due to nervousness or surprise
cat harping fashion
Drinking cross-ways, and not, as usual, over the left thumb. SEA TERM.
cat ice
Very thin, almost transparent ice from which the water that was underneath has receded; so slight as to be unable to bear a cat.
cat in pan
To turn cat in pan, to change sides or parties; supposed originally to have been to turn CATE or CAKE in pan.
cat in the meal-tub
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
cat in the sack
something unpleasant or of poor quality that is hidden or disguised
cat lap
Tea, called also scandal broth. See SCANDAL BROTH.
cat match
When a rook or cully is engaged amongst bad bowlers.
cat o' mountain
The wild-cat; also the leopard, or panther; hence a wild, savage sort of man.
cat of nine tails
A scourge composed of nine strings of whip-cord, each string having nine knots.
cat piss
something of very poor quality
Cat Stane
The name given to certain monoliths in Scotland (there is one near Kirkliston, Linhthgow), so called from Celtic cath, a battle, because they mark the site of some battle. They are not Druidical stones.
cat sticks
Thin legs, compared to sticks with which boys play at cat. See TRAPSTICKS.
cat that ate the canary
Someone who looks smug and self-satisfied
cat's cradle
A complex or confusing situation
cat's cradle
A game played with a piece of twine by two children. The suggestion that the name is a corruption of cratch-cradle, or the manger cradle m which the infant Saviour was laid (cratch is the Fr. creche, a rack or manger), is unsupported by any evidence.
cat's eye
A gem which possesses chatoy- ancy, or a changeable lustre. The true, or precious, cat's eye is a variety of chrysoberyl. The semi-precious cat's eye is a kind of quartz.
cat's foot
To live under the cat's foot; to be under the dominion of a wife hen-pecked. To live like dog and cat; spoken of married persons who live unhappily together. As many lives as a cat; cats, according to vulgar naturalists, have nine lives, that is one less than a woman. No more chance than a cat in hell without claws; said of one who enters into a dispute or quarrel with one greatly above his match.
cat's meow
Something or someone excellent or wonderful
cat's paw
To be made a cat's paw of; to be made a tool or instrument to accomplish the purpose of another: an allusion to the story of a monkey, who made use of a cat's paw to scratch a roasted chesnut out of the fire.
cat's sleep
Counterfeit sleep: cats often counterfeiting sleep, to decoy their prey near them, and then suddenly spring on them.
cat's water
Gin.
cat's whisker
In the old-fashioned crystal wireless sets this was the name, given to the fine wire that made contact with the crystal.
cats and dogs
It is said to rain cats and dogs when a shower is exceptionally heavy. Probably in ridicule of the remarkable showers which used to find their way into the papers during the "silly season."
CATS below
It is probable that the custom of tormenting cats by the ignorant arose from their supposed connexion with witches.
cherry-coloured cat
A black cat, there being black cherries as well as red.
cheshire cat
He grins like a Cheshire cat; said of anyone who shews his teeth and gums in laughing.
cheshire cat
See To GRIN LIKE A CHESHIRE CAT below. Dick Whittington and his cat.
chó treo mèo đậy
Useless or ineffective protection
cool cat
A person who is fashionable and impressive
curiosity killed the cat
Excessive curiosity can lead to trouble or danger
cát vệ sinh cho mèo
cat litter
dead cat bounce
A brief, false recovery after a severe decline
deaf as a white cat
It is said that white cats are deaf and stupid. None so deaf as those who won't hear.
different breed of cat
A completely different kind of person or thing
dog and cat
people who do not get along
dog my cats
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
dogs bark, cats meow
People often do what is typical of them
Dán búa lồn mèo
to flatter or try to win someone over by praising their children
enough to make a cat laugh
amusing or ridiculous
enough to make a cat speak
Said of some- thing (usually good liquor) that will loosen one's tongue.
gib cat
A northern name for a he cat, there commonly called Gilbert. As melancholy as a gib cat; as melancholy as a he cat who has been caterwauling, whence they always return scratched, hungry, and out of spirits. Aristotle says, Omne animal post coitum est triste; to which an anonymous author has given the following exception, preter gallum gallinaceum, et sucerdotem gratis fornicantem.
Gib Cat
A tom-cat. The male cat used to be called Gilbert. Tibert or Tybalt (q.v.) is the French form of Gilbert, and hence Chaucer, or whoever it was that translated that part of the Romance of the Rose, renders "Thibert le Cas" by "Gibbe, our Cat" (line 6204). Generally used of a castrated cat.
grinagog, the cat's uncle
A foolish grinning fellow, one who grins without reason.
Gắn phù lồn mèo
to impose a false label
hell cat
A termagant, a vixen, a furious scolding woman. See TERMAGANT and VIXEN.
herd cats
to manage or organize a group of people who are difficult to control
it is raining cats and dogs
Very heavily. I know Sir John would go, though he was sure it would rain cats and dogs.
khay vệ sinh cho mèo
litter tray
kilkenny cat
A popular simile for a voracious or desperate animal or person, from the story of the two cats in that county, who are said to have fought and bitten each other until a small portion of the tail of one of them alone remained.
let the cat out
Or LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG, a common phrase, which implies that a secret is to be or has been let out.
like a cat on hot bricks
Very uneasy; not at all "at home" in the situation, whatever it may be.
look what the cat's dragged in
an unwelcome or disheveled person has arrived
manx cat
A tailless species of cat found in the Isle of Man.
mèo
(noun) cat
Mắng chó chửi mèo
To scold or blame someone unfairly or without reason
not room to swing a cat
Swinging cats as a mark for sportsmen was at one time a fav9urite amusement. There were several varieties of this diversion.
play the cat and banjo with
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
rain dogs and cats
raining very heavily
see how the cat jumps
See "which way the wind blows"; which of two alternatives is likely to be the successful one before you give any opinion of its merit or adhesion to it, either moral or otherwise. The allusion is either to the game called "tip-cat," in which before you strike you must observe which way the "cat" has jumped up, or to the cruel sport mentioned above. See HANG ME IN A BOTTLE. He soon saw which way the cat did jump, And his company he offered plump.
see which way the cat jumps
wait to see how a situation develops before acting
shoot the cat
To vomit.
sick as a cat
Very ill.
sick as a cat
Cats are very subject to vomiting. Hence one is said to cat, or to shoot the cat in vomiting.
tear a cat
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
The Cat and Wheel
A corruption of "St. Catherine's Wheel"; or an announcement that cat and balance-wAee/s are provided for the amusement of customers.
the cat's out of the bag
A secret is revealed
the cat's pajamas
Excellent or wonderful
the cat's pyjamas
Something or someone excellent or wonderful
The Salutation and Cat
The "Salutation" (which refers to the angel saluting the Virgin Mary) is the sign of the house, and the "Cat" is added to signify that arrangements are made for playing cat or tipcat.
there are more ways of killing a cat than choking it with cream
There are many ways to achieve something
there's more than one way to skin a cat
Traditional English proverbial phrase; full definition pending editorial review.
thin as a barber's cat
Very thin.
to cat the anchor
To hang the anchor on the cathead, a piece of timber outside the ship to which the anchor is hung to keep it clear of the ship.
To fight like Kilkenny cats
To fight till both sides have lost their all; to fight with the utmost determination and pertinacity. The story is that during the Irish rebellion of 1798 Kilkenny was garrisoned by a troop of Hessian soldiers, who amused themselves by tying two cats together by their tails and throwing them across a clothes-line to fight.
To grin like a Cheshire cat
An old simile, popularized by Lewis Carroll : — "Please would you tell me," said Alice a little timidly, . . . "why your cat grins like that?" "It's a Cheshire cat," said the Duchess, "and that's why.'* — Alice in Wonderland (1865), ch. vi.
to have a cat doctored
A colloquialism for having a young tom-cat "cut," or cas- trated.
to live under the cat's foot
To be under petticoat government; to be henpecked.
top cat
The most important or dominant person
when the cat is away, the mice will play
People behave badly when not supervised.
When the cat is away, the mice will play. (16th century) (Citatboken)
People behave badly when not supervised
whip the cat
to take out frustration on a weaker person
who will bell the cat?
Who will take the risk to do a dangerous task?
who's 'she', the cat's mother
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
Ăn như rồng cuốn, nói như rồng leo, làm như mèo mửa
To eat, speak, or act excessively or extravagantly
Ăn nhạt mới biết thương mèo
Vietnamese proverb; English definition pending editorial review.